Instant Pot street-style beef tacos with tender pieces of chopped seasoned steak served on a mini tortilla shell topped with pico de gallo and queso fresco. It can be served as a meal or an appetizer for guests.

I love street tacos, but rarely find a taco truck nearby that I can trust for a good and tasty taco.

It was time to find a quick and easy way to prepare them at home and using my trusty Instant Pot no less!

I was afraid the beef was going to turn out too tender. (Is there such a thing?)

It can turn to shredded beef if cooked too long, like slow-cooker barbacoa beef tacos. (Which is also really tasty if I do say so.)

Street-style beef is chopped into fine steak pieces but isn’t chewy. I knew it could be done in an Instant Pot!

What are Street Tacos?

Street tacos in the US have actually been around since the early 1900s when tacos first came to the LA area.

However, they were not the traditional and authentic taco from Mexico. The street tacos in LA back in the day were seen as low-class street food.

Flash forward to today and there is a trend of street tacos popping up in Mexican cuisine food trucks everywhere.

There are many versions of street tacos, but typically you will find grilled pieces of beef, chicken, or fish on a mini taco shell served with fresh onions and tomatoes on top.

They may have some cheese or hot sauce accompanying them as well.

The idea is that they’re small, like an appetizer, and you eat them on the go. They typically give you 2-3 tacos when you order them.

If street tacos have grilled meat, why are you using an Instant Pot?

Yes, street tacos are traditionally filled with grilled meat, but I wanted to take the work out of grilling (especially if it’s cold where you’re at right now.)

This helps simplify our busy lives by throwing it all into one pot and not having to watch it as it cooks.

That’s the beauty of the Instant Pot! It’s a one-pot meal and you don’t even have to stir it as it cooks.

Plus, the meat turns out so tender!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Street-Style Beef Tacos

Sirloin Steak
Beef Broth
Chili Powder
Cumin
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
Street-Style Taco Shells, corn or flour
Queso Fresco for topping
Fresh Limes

Ingredients for Homemade Pico de Gallo

Roma Tomatoes
Small Yellow Onion
Jalapeño
Fresh Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt

Marinade for Instant Pot Street-Style Beef Tacos

What you need for the marinade:

Beef broth
Chili powder
Cumin
Garlic powder
Oregano
Black Pepper
Salt

The ideal way to prepare the meat is to let it marinate in the broth and seasonings for at least an hour prior to cooking.

Obviously, we don’t all have time to plan ahead in the week if we’re busy and come home from work.

I’m often thawing beef just before dinner, let alone having time to marinate it.

Not to worry if you do not have time — the Instant Pot will help by pressure cooking the seasoning into the beef.

Set your Instant Pot

Set your Instant Pot by closing the lid, close the vent on top, and then using these settings:

Select Meat/Stew
Adjust the temperature to “More” or the highest setting
Set your timer to 15 minutes

After it has cooked for 15 minutes do not natural release the pressure. Carefully, with an oven mitt, turn the vent switch so that it opens it and quickly releases.

I did this so that it stopped cooking and did not get the beef to the point of being shredded beef. (Remember, we’re wanting tiny chopped pieces.)

How do you make pico de gallo?

While it cooks, make the homemade pico de gallo. It’s very quick and easy to put together.

What you need to make homemade pico de gallo:

Roma Tomatoes
Onion
Fresh Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt

That’s really it. No cooking involved. It’s so fresh and tasty!

I’ve had street tacos served in flour tacos mostly, but the Mission brand sells both flour and corn street tacos in the grocery store.

I bought both and the corn tortillas are more fragile than the flour.

To make them more flexible they can be heated in the microwave for 30 seconds.

I’m sure homemade tortilla shells are the best and won’t break apart on you. Perhaps that’s another recipe for the future!

Try these other delicious dishes!

Enjoy!

Instant Pot Street-Style Beef Tacos

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Recipe by Simply Happenings Course: MainCuisine: Mexican

Servings

Mini Tacos

Prep time

minutes

Pressurize and Cook Time

Minutes

Ingredients

Beef Tacos
1 1/2 pounds Sirloin Beef, diced
1 14.5 oz can Beef Broth
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Street-Style Taco Shells, corn or flour
Queso Fresco for topping
2 Fresh Limes, quartered, juice for topping
Pico de Gallo
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 Small Yellow Onion, diced
1 Jalapeño, diced
3 Sprigs of Fresh Cilantro, remove the leaves from stems
Juice From Half of a Lime
Salt to taste

Directions

Whisk beef broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Place diced beef in Instant Pot and pour broth with seasonings over top.
Note: For richer flavoring, let the meat marinate in the broth and seasonings for at least an hour prior to cooking.
Place lid on top, set vent to be sealed, and set your settings to Meat/Stew, adjust the temperature to More (or highest heat), and cook time to 15 minutes.
While it cooks make the pico de gallo by dicing the tomato and onions into small chunks. Slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove the rib and seeds. Chop into fine pieces. Pull leaves from cilantro stems and place them in a bowl with tomato, onion, and jalapeño. Cut a lime in half and squeeze lime juice over top of mixture in bowl. Add salt to season and stir ingredients. Cut up remaining limes into quarters to use for topping later.
Once the timer goes off on the Instant Pot you do not need to do a natural release. Instead, use an oven mitt and carefully turn vent to open. It will be hot so be very careful.
Place tortilla shells on a paper towel and warm them for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Scoop beef on to each shell evenly, followed by pico de gallo, crumbled queso fresco, and squeeze fresh lime juice over top.